The phone is packed with new features that can anticipate users' needs such as "when to fire up the camera," Woodside said. For example, sensors in the phone will let it know when it's being pulled out of someone's pocket, he said.

The phone will also adjust its settings if it's traveling at high speeds in a car, he said.

"The device will know, whether it's on or off, it's traveling at 60 miles per hour. It's going to act differently so you can interact with it safely," Woodside said.

The phone is "more contextually aware of what's going on around it. It allows you to interact with it in very different ways than you can with other devices," Woodside added. He did not show the device onstage during his talk, although he said he had it in his pocket.

Woodside hinted that the Moto X would go on sale this fall and be priced below competing phones such as the IPhone 5.

He said that 70% of the phone will be assembled at a Texas facility that once made Nokia phones, although some of its components will be built overseas.